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SOHRABANDRUSTUM 



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ENGLISH CLASSIC SERIES.-No. 124. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 



BY 



Matthew Arnold. 




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INTRODUCTION. 

Matthew Arnolb was the son of Dr. Thomas Arnold, the 
celebrated head-master of Rugby School. He was born Decem- 
ber 24, 1832, at Laleham, near Staines, In 1836 he entered 
Winchester School, but was removed the following year to 
Rugby, where he completed his preparation for the university. 
He maintained a high position in the school, presenting in 
1840 a prize poem, and winning the same year a scholarship 
at Balliol College, Oxford. During his first year at the uni- 
versity he obtained the Hertford Scholarship, for proficiency 
in Latin, and later won the Newdigate Prize for English Poetry; 
with a poem entitled ' ' Cromwell. " He graduated with honors, 
and in 1845 was elected Fellow of Oriel College, just th y 
years after the election of his father to the same honor. 
Among his colleagues here were R. W. Church, Dean of St. 
Paul's, John Earle, the present Professor of Anglo-Saxon at 
Oxford, and the poet A. H. Clough. His intimacy with 
Clough grew into the closest friendship, which received its 
final seal in the tender and noble lines of " Thyrsis," an elegy 
that for exalted beauty must be placed with Milton's ' ' Lycidas " 
and Shelley's " Adonais."- 

Of his life at Oxford one who knew him in those days says .* 
"His perfect self-possession, the sallies of his ready wit, the 
humorous turn which he could give to any subject that he 
handled, his gayety, "exuberance, versatility, audacity, and 
unfailing command of words, made him one of the most pop- 
ular and successful undergraduates that Oxford has ever 
known." Oxford, as the home of his intellectual life, was 
always dear to him, that "beautiful city, so venerable, so 
lovely !" who, " by her ineffable charm, keeps ever calling us 
near to the true goal of all of us, to the ideal, to perfection." 

3 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

During his residence the university was still under the influence 
of the famous Tractarian Movement, which did so much to 
purify English religious thought. The leaders of the move- 
ment were Fellows of Oriel, and the year in which Mr. Arnold 
became Fellow of this college was the year in which Dr. New- 
man seceded to Kome. The influence of these events may be 
traced in all his writing and thinking; in apparent contradic- 
tion of his radical and analytical habit of thought, he main- 
tained through life a conservative admiration for the Estab- 
lished Church. 

From 1847 to 1851 Mr. Arnold acted as private secretary to 
the late Lord Lansdowne. He married in 1851, and the same 
year was appointed Lay Inspector of Schools, a position which 
he held with honor for nearly thirty-five years. Twice he was 
sent abroad by the government to study the school-systems of 
the Continent, and his various reports are among the most 
valuable contributions to educational literature. He labored 
zealously until the end of his life for the reform of the English 
public schools, aiming especially at the elevation of middle- 
class education, to the defects of which he traced the greater 
part of the moral, social, and political faults of English civil- 
ization. To organize middle-class education as well as it is 
organized in France and Germany was, to his mind, the "one 
thing necessary" for expelling the " Philistines" and regener- 
ating English society. 

Mr. Arnold's first appearance in literature was as a poet, 
with the now famous little volume of 1848, entitled "The 
Strayed Reveller, and other Poems, by A." In 1853 " Em- 
pedocles on Etna, and Other Poems" appeared, and soon after 
he published in his own name a volume of selections from the 
two preceding volumes, including a few new poems. The 
impression produced by his poetry was such that in 1857 he 
was elected to the Professorship of Poetry at Oxford, a position 
which he held for two terms, a period of ten years, at the end 
of which there was general regret that the limitation of the 
statutes did not permit a third term. During this period 
" Merope," a tragedy after the Greek manner, was published, 
followed by the celebrated "Lectures on Translating Homer," 



INTRODUCTION'. 5 

and, in 1865, by the epoch-making vohime of "Essays in 
Criticism." This book was a revelation in literature. By it 
criticism was endowed with a new function; it was elevated 
to the dignity of a creative art ; even poetry was made a 
" criticism of life." The author defined the new criticism to 
be " a disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best 
that is known and thought in the world," and his whole liter- 
ary work was an illustration of the definition. Such a form 
of criticism was far removed from the militant omniscience of 
the Edinburgh critics, as also from the tea-table civility of the 
Lamb and Leigh Hunt school. The lesson of this volume was 
that criticism must be broadened and humanized, that it must 
be sympathetic, tempered with " sweet reasonableness," and, 
above all, truthful, endeavoring with sincerity to "see things 
as in themselves they are." With these essays a new era in 
critical writing began. England now had her own Sainte- 
Beuve. 

With this view of the true function of criticism it is not 
strange, perhaps, that Mr. Arnold's attention was often with- 
drawn from literature and devoted to social and religious 
questions. In 1870 appeared " Culture and Anarchy," an 
essay in political and social criticism, presenting a good 
illustration of the logical force of that peculiar literary style 
which in his hands was always an instrument of marvelous 
delicacy and power. His theological criticism is contained in 
" St. Paul and Protestantism," published in 1871; " Literature 
and Dogma," 1873; "God and the Bible," 1875; and "Last 
Essays on Church and Religion," 1877. These books aroused 
bitter controversy. His earnest effort to rescue the essential 
elements of the Christian religion from the destruction threat- 
ened by dogmatic theology in the one direction and material- 
istic science in the other was regarded by many as an attack 
upon Christianity itself. 

Mr. Arnold's other published works are: "The Study of 
Celtic Literature," 1868; "Friendship's Garland," 1871; 
"Mixed Essays" and "Irish Essays," 1882 ; "Discourses in 
America," 1885; " Complete Poems," 1876; a volume of " Select- 
ed Poems" in the Golden Treasury Series, and a posthumous 



6 INTEODUCTION, 

volume, "Essays in Criticism, Second Series." A mere enu- 
meration of his books shows the breadth and versatility of his 
mind. He was poet, essayist, theologian, critic, philosopher; 
yet a remarkable singleness of purpose runs through all 
his work. Whatever the topic, the real theme is culture, in 
its highest sense, — the refinement and harmonious develop- 
ment of the intellect and the soul. His writing is a con- 
stant appeal to the ideal in human nature, an insistence 
upon the moral and spiritual aspects of life in contrast with 
the vulgar material aspects. As a prose stylist he is one of 
the great masters. As a poet only two, or three at most, of his 
contemporaries should be named before him. His poetry is a 
splendid embodiment of the profoundest thought and feeling 
of the period, especially of the struggle through which all 
sensitive souls are passing in the recoil before the ' ' hopeless 
tangle of this age." 

The death of Matthew Arnold occurred suddenly, April 15, 
1888, bringing a painful shock to the thousands who had long 
been accustomed to regard him as a leader and teacher. " Not 
only the world of literature, but the infinitely larger world of 
unexpressed thought and feeling and unembodied imagination, 
is sensibly the poorer for his loss." His special mission was, 
as Mr. Stedman expresses it, "that of spiritualizing what he 
deemed an era of unparalleled materialism." His most earnest 
desire was to warn all, as he warned his " Scholar-Gypsy," to 
fly from 

" This strange disease of modern life, 
With its sick hurry, its divided aims, 
Its heads o'ertaxed, its palsied hearts." 

And although his words of warning have often been "on 
men's impious uproar hurled," they have left a deep and per- 
manent impress upon the finer consciousness of the age. 



Arnold as a Poet. 

" He is a maker of such exquisite and thoughtful verse that it 
is hard sometimes to question his title to be considered a genuine 
poet. On the other hand, it is likely that the very grace and 
culture and thoughtfuluess of his style inspire in many the first 
doubt of his claim to the name of poet. Where the art is evident 
and elaborate, we are all too apt to assume that it is all art and 
not genius. Mr. Arnold is a sort of miniature Goethe ; we do not 
know that his most ardent admirers could demand a higher praise 
for him, while it is probable that the description will suggest 
exactly the intellectual peculiarities which lead so many to deny 
him a place with the really inspired singers of his day." — 
McCARTnY's History of Our Own Times. 

"Mr. Arnold belongs to the classical school of poetry, regarding 
the Greeks, with their strength and simplicity of phrase and their 
perfect sense of form, as his masters. To the imaginative power 
of a true poet he adds a delicacy and refinement of taste and a 
purity and severity of phrase which uncultivated readers often 
mistake for boldness. Nowhere in his poems do we find those 
hackneyed commonplaces, decked out with gaudy and ungraceful 
ornament, which pass for poetry with many people. His fault 
rather is that he is too exclusively the poet of culture. Many of 
his verses will always seem fiat and insipid to those who have not 
received a classical education ; while, on the other hand, students 
of Greek literature will be disposed to praise certain of his pieces 
more highly than their intrinsic merit demands. Yet it may be 
doubted whether some of his work as a poet will not stand the 
ordeal of time better than that of any contemporary poet, Mr. 
Tennyson and Mr. Browning excepted. There are few poems 
which show such a refined sense of beauty, such dignity and self- 

7 



8 ARNOLD AS A POET. 

restraint, such admirable adaptation of the form to the subject, as 
Mr. Arnold's 'Sohrab and Rustum,' 'Tristram and Iseult,' and 
the 'Forsaken Merman.' " — Nicoll's Landmarks of English Lit- 
erature. 

"His shorter meters, used as the framework of songs and 
lyrics, rarely are successful ; but through youthful familiarity 
with the Greek choruses he has caught something of their irregular 
beauty. ' The Strayed Reveler ' has much of this unfettered 
charm. Arnold is restricted in the range of his affections ; but 
that he is one of those who can love very loyally the few with 
whom they do enter into sympathy, through consonance of traits 
or experiences, is shown in the emotional poems entitled ' Faded 
Leaves' and 'Indifference,' and in later i)ieces, which display 
more fluency, ' Calais Sands ' and ' Dover Beach.' A prosaic man- 
ner injures many of his lyrics ; at least he does not seem clearly 
to distinguish between the functions of poetry and of prose. He 
is more at ease in long, stately, swelling measures, whose graver 
movement accords with a serious and elevated purpose. Judged 
as works of art, ' Sohrab and Rustum ' and ' Balder Dead ' really 
are majestic poems. Their blank verse, while independent of 
Tennyson's, is the result, like that of the ' Mort d' Arthur,' of its 
author's Homeric studies ; is somewhat too slow in ' Balder Dead,' 
and fails of the antique simplicity, but is terse, elegant, and 
always in ' the grand manner.' Upon the whole this is a remark- 
able production ; it stands at the front of all experiments in a 
field remote as the northern heavens and almost as glacial and 
clear. . . . ' Sohrab and Rustum ' is a still finer poem, because more 
human and more complete in itself. The verse is not so devoid 
of epic swiftness. The powerful conception of the relations be- 
tween the two chieftains and the slaying of the son by the father 
are tragical and heroic." — Stedman's Victorian Poets. 



The Story of Sohrab and Rustum. 

The material for Arnold's "Sobrab and Rustum " was taken 
from tbe great Persian epic, tbe " Sbah-Namab," or "Book of 
Kings." Firdusi, tbe autbor of tbis celebrated poem, wbose real 
name was Abu'l Casim Mansur, was born about tbe year 941 a.d. 
He was learned in all tbe wisdom of tbe Persian and Aral)ic litera- 
tures, and was cboseu by Mabmud, tbe sultan of Gbazuin, after a 
competition witb seven otber poets, to convert tbe ancient legends 
of Persia into a connected poem. At one of tbe meetings of tbe 
court i)oets be was so successful witb an improvised verse tbat 
tbe sultan bestowed upon bim tbe name Firdusi {Firdus, paradise), 
saying : " Tbou bast made my court a paradise." 

Firdusi labored upon Ins royal task for tbirty years, and wrote 
sixty tbousand verses ; for eacb verse be was to receive a gold piece 
from tbe sultan, and it was bis purpose to devote tbe wbole sum 
to tbe building of a dike for bis native town of Tus. But tbere 
were rivals and enemies at court, and instead of tbe sixty tbousand 
})ieces of gold tbat bad been promised, tbe sultan was persuaded to 
send bim sixty tbousand pieces of silver. Witb rigbteous indigna- 
tion Firdusi rejected tbe gift, sent back a proud message of scorn, 
wrote a scatbing satire against tbe sultan, and tben fled from bis 
dominions. He, 

" Who loved the ancient kings, and learned to see 

Their buried shapes in vision one by one, 
And wove their deeds in lovely minstrelsy, 

For all the gloiy that his name had won 
To Persia, was in exile by the sea." 

At length, after many years of wandering, be returned to bis 
native town, a decrepit old man. Time and tbe entreaties of 
friends bad appeased tbe sultan's anger, and be sougbt to make 
amends for tbe wrong done to tbe noble poet. Tbe promised gold 
be now sent to bim, witb a robe of bonor and a message of wel- 
come and good-will. But it was too late ; wbile tbe camels were 

9 



10 THE STOEY OF SOHRAB AND EUSTUM. 

bearing the treasure in at one gate of the town, the body of Firdusi 
was borne out at another. But the great stone dilve for the river 
of Tus was built with the gold, as a monument to the poet's 
memory. 

The Shah-Namah is the national epic of Persia, as the Iliad is of 
Greece, the Nibelungenlied of Germany, and the Cid of Spain. 
Rustum is a hero like Hercules, Achilles, and Siegfrid. The finest 
episode of the poem is the story of the fatal contest between Rus- 
tum and his son. Some of the details of the narrative were changed 
by Arnold, in order to bring it within the requirements of modern 
poetic art. The original story runs thus : 

Rustum was hunting near the borders of Turan, and while he 
was sleeping, his faithful horse, Ruksh, was stolen by certain 
young men of Turan. At this Rustum was sorely troubled. He 
followed the hoof-prints to the neighboring city of Samengan, and 
in great wrath demanded of the king of that city that his steed be 
restored to him, and he vowed that if Ruksh were not restored, 
many of the sons of Turan should pay for him with their heads. 
The king calmed his auger with gracious promises of assistance, 
and conducted him to his palace. And there Rustum was enter- 
tained by the beautiful princess Tahmineh, who was already in 
love with him for his great deeds of heroism of which she had 
heard much, and who had connived at the stealing of Ruksh in order 
that she might bring him thither. The conclusion of this adventure 
was a royal wedding at the court of Samengan. But the wild spirit 
of Rustum could not be confined at court, and having recovered his 
horse Ruksh, he departed. At parting he gave to his young bride 
an amulet of onyx, saying: "Cherish this jewel, and if Heaven 
cause thee to give birth unto a daughter, fasten it within her 
locks, and it will shield her from evil ; but if it be granted unto 
thee to bring forth a son, fasten it upon his arm, that he may wear 
it like his father." 

A remarkable son Avas born, and he was called Sohrab ; but 
Tahmineh sent word to Rustum that the child was a girl, for she 
feared that he would take the boy from her ; wherefore Rustum 
gave no heed to his child. When Sohrab had grown to great 
strength and courage he demanded the name of his father, and 
upon learning that the far-famed Rustum was his father he re- 
solved to find him. His mother would have him keep his lofty 



THE STORY OF SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 11 

parentage a secret, for King Afrasiab was tlie enemy of Rustum, 
but he boldly proclaimed his birth and his purpose to conquer 
the kingdom of Iran and place his father upon the throne. And 
he had also a secret purpose, which was to return with Rustum 
and conquer the kingdom of Turan for himself. 

Now King Afrasiab was much pleased with the young hero^ 
for his heart was at once filled with a crafty purpose. He 
prepared an army for Sohrab, and called the leaders to him 
secretly, and said : "Into our hands hath it been given to settle 
the course of the world. For it is known unto me that Sohrab is 
sprung from Rustum the Pehliva, but from Rustum must it be 
hidden who it is that goeth out against him, then peradventure 
he will perish by the hands of this young lion, and Iran, devoid 
of Rustum, will fall a prey into my hands. Then will we subdue 
Sohrab also, and all the world will be ours." So the united 
Tartar bands set out toward the kingdom of Kai Kaoos, and on 
the way Sohrab performed mighty deeds of valor, the fame of 
which was loudly sounded through the land of Iran. The king 
in terror sent to Rustum, asking him to come forth from his 
retirement and lead the army against this new conqueror. But 
Rustum tarried in his coming many days, and when at length he 
came the king was in great wrath, and threatened to put him to 
death. Then Rustum answered him with words of scorn : "I am 
a free man and no slave, and am servant alone unto God ; and 
without Rustum Kai Kaoos is as nothing. But for me, who 
called forth Kai Kobad, thine eyes had never looked upon this 
throne. And had I desired it, I could have sat upon its seat. But 
now am I weary of thy follies, and I will turn me away from Iran, 
and when this Turk shall have put you under his yoke, I shall 
not learn thereof." Then he strode proudly from the king's 
presence, sprang upon Ruksh, and disappeared. And now the 
nobles and chieftains of Iran were in still greater terror because 
of this folly of their king, and they went to Rustum and with 
many prayers prevailed with him to return, and the king hum- 
bled himself and craved pardon from Rustum for his words 
spoken in anger, and bestowed rich gifts upon him. So Rustum 
prepared himself for the contest. 

At length the two armies were face to face by the river Oxus 
Sohrab, hoping ever to find Rustum, led Hujir, an Iranian cap 



12 THE STOET OF SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 

tive, to a lieight overlooking the enemy's camp, and questioned 
liim about the tents of the leaders ; but Hujir answered falsely, 
and so he believed that Hustum's tent was not among them. He 
then challenged Kai Kaoos to single combat, and the craven king 
persuaded Rustum to meet the bold champion. When Rustum 
saw the youth and noble bearing of Sohrab his heart went out in 
compassion toward him, and he besought him to retire : " O young 
man, the air is warm and soft, but the earth is cold." And 
Sohrab, filled with a sudden and strange hope, said: "Tell me 
thy name, that my heart may rejoice in thy words, for it seemeth 
unto me that thou art none other than Rustum, the son of Zal." 
But Rustum denied that he was Rustum, for he deemed that 
Sohrab would be the more afraid when he beheld such prowess 
in an Iranian chieftain ; and Sohrab was made sorrowful by his 
words. 

And now the combat began. They foiight with spears, with 
swords, with arrows, and with clubs. They strove until their 
mail was torn and covered with blood, and their horses spent 
with exhaustion. Rustum thought within himself that in all his 
days he had not met such a foe, and finally he was felled by a 
terrible blow from Sohrab's club. The day being then far spent, 
the champions rested for the night. Still troubled in mind, Sohrab 
sought again to know of Haman whether his antagonist might 
not be Rustum ; but Haman, mindful of the command of his 
master, Af rasiab, replied that he knew the face of Rustum well, 
for he had often seen him in battle, and tliis man was not Rus- 
tum. On the morrow the champions again met, and again 
Sohrab urged peace : "For it seemeth unto me that this conflict 
is impure. And if thou wilt listen to my desires, my heart shall 
speak to thee of love. And for this cause I ask thee yet again, 
tell me thy name, neither hide it any longer, for I behold that 
thou art of noble race. And it would seem unto me that thou art 
Rustum, the chosen one, the son of Zal." And Rustum answered: 
"O hero of tender age, we are not come forth to parley, but to 
combat, and mine ears are sealed against thy words of lure." 

Then they joined battle, and from morning until the setting of 
the sun they struggled. At last Sohrab seized Rustum by the 
girdle and threw him to the ground, and would have ended his 
life had not Rustum, bethinking himself of a wile, cried out to 



THE STORY OF SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. IB 

liim that in such contests it was the custom in Iran not to slay 
an adversary until he had been twice overcome. So again they 
rested, and that night Rustum prayed to his god Ormuzd that 
the strength of his earlier years might return. And Ormuzd 
heard his prayer. On the morning of the third day Rustum 
rushed upon Sohrab with renewed might, seized him with a ter- 
rible grasp, hurled him to the earth, so that his back was broken 
like a reed, and drew forth his sword to sever the body. Then 
Sohrab in agony cried : "I sped not forth for empty glory, but I 
went out to seek my father ; for ray mother had told me by what 
tokens I should know him, and I perish for longing after him. 
And now have my pains been fruitless, for it hath not been given 
unto me to look upon his face. Yet I say unto thee, if thou 
shouldest become a fish that swimmetli in the depths of the ocean, 
if thou shouldest change into a star that is concealed in the farth- 
est heaven, my father would draw thee forth from thy hiding- 
place and avenge my death upon thee when he shall learn that 
the earth is become my bed. For my father is Rustum the Peh- 
liva, and it shall be told unto him how that Sohrab, his son, 
perished in the quest after his face." At these words Rustum 
fell to the earth as if stricken by a blow, and h-e demanded of 
Sohrab some token of Rustum. Then Sohrab charged him to 
open his armor, and there he saw the amulet of onyx upon his 
arm ; and when he had seen it he cried out in terrible agony of 
soul. Then Sohrab asked that the army of Turan be permitted 
to return in peace. "As for me," he said, "I came like the 
thunder and I vanish like the wind, but perchance it is given 
unto us to meet again above." And then the spirit of Sohrab 
departed. 

Now that Sohrab was dead, Rustum burned his tent, his throne, 
and all his arms and trappings of war. And he cried aloud con- 
tinually, "I that am old have killed my son. My heart is sick 
unto death." The body of his son he bore to Seistan, and placed 
it in a noble tomb. And joy never again entered into the heart 
of Rustum. The heavy news was carried to the court of Samen- 
gan, and the old king tore his garments. And when Tahmineh 
knew that her son Sohrab was dead, she was beside herself with 
grief. She sent for his steed and his armor, and she stroked the 
steed, pressing his head to her breast and pouring her tears upon 



14 THE STORY OF SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

him. And the helmet that Sohrab had worn she kissed many 
times, and his gold and jewels she gave to the poor. A year she 
mourned, and then, borne down to death by her sorrow, her spirit 
departed to her son. 

Note.— There is no complete translation of the Sliah-Namah in English. 
The standard version is the French version of Jules Mohl, published by 
Madame Mohl in 1876. There is an English version by Mr. James Atkinson, 
giving an epitome of the poem from a Persian abridgment. Portions of the 
poem will be found in Mr. Robinson's " Persian Poetry for English Readers," 
and in Miss Zimmern's " Heroic Tales from Firdusi the Persian." This 
adaptation has been drawn upon for the foregoing narrative. The study of 
Firdusi's exile has been told in pleasing verse by Edmund W. Gosse in his 
" Firdusi in Exile." 



SOHRAB AND RuSTUM. 



AN EPISODE. 

And the first gray of morning filled the east, 

And the fog rose out of the Oxus stream. 

But all the Tartar camp along the stream 

Was hushed, and still the men were plunged in sleep ; 

Sohrab alone, he slept not ; all night long 5 

He had lain wakeful, tossing on his bed ; 

But when the gray dawn stole into his tent, 

He rose, and clad himself, and girt his sword, 

And took his horseman's cloak, and left his tent, 

And went abroad into the cold wet fog, 10 

Through the dim camp to Peran-Wisa''s tent. 

Through the black Tartar tents he passed, which stood 
Clustering like beehives on the low flat strand 
Of Oxus, where the summer floods o'erflow 
"When the sun melts the snows in high Pamere ; 15 

Through the black tents he passed, o'er that low strand. 
And to a hillock came, a little back 
From the stream's brink — the spot where first a boat. 
Crossing the stream in summer, scrapes the land. 
The men of former times had crowned the top 20 

1. And. This form of opening indicates the episodical character of the 
poem. 

2. Oxus. The classical name of the great river now called Amoo Daria. 
It was the scene of many important events in ancient history. Consult 
Classical Dictionary and Encyclopedia Britannica. 

5. Sohrab (so'rdb) Note the effect of the repetition. 

8. Suggest similar repetitions of and in the Scriptures. 

11. Peran-Wisa (pe'rdn we'sd). The commander of King Afrasiab's 
(af-rd'si-db) army. 

15. Pamere ( pn-meer'). Usually written Pamir ; an elevated steppe or 
plateau in which the Oxus. has its source,— a part of the great Himalayan 
plateau. 

15 



16 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

With a clay fort ; but that was fall'ii, and now 

The Tartars built there Peran-Wisa's tent, 

A dome of laths, and o'er it felts were spread. 

And Sohrab came there, and went in, and stood 

Upon the thick piled carpets in the tent, 5 

And found the old man sleeping on his bed 

Of rugs and felts, and near him lay his arms. 

And Peran-Wisa heard him, though the step 

Was dulled ; for he slept light, an old man's sleep ; 

And he rose quickly on one arm, and said : — 10 

" Who art thou ? for it is not yet clear dawn. 
Speak ! is there news, or any night alarm ? " 

But Sohrab came to the bedside, and said : 
" Thou know'st me, Peran-Wisa ! it is I. 
The sun is not yet risen, and the foe 15 

Sleep ; but I sleep not ; all night long I lie 
Tossing and wakeful, and I come to thee. 
For so did King Afrasiab bid me seek 
Thy counsel, and to heed thee as thy son, 
In Samarcand, before the army marched ; 30 

And I will tell thee what my heart desires. 
Thou know'st if, since from Ader-baijan first 
I came among the Tartars and bore ai'ms, 
I have still served Afrasiab well, and shown, 
At my boy's years, the coui'age of a man. 25 

This too thou know'st, that while I still bear on 
The conquering Tartar ensigns through the world, 
And beat the Persians back on every field, 
I seek one man, one man, and one alone — 
Rustum, my father ; who I hoped should greet, 30 

9. He slept litfht. So Shakespeare says, in " Romeo and Juliet," II, 3 : 

" Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye, 
And where care lodges sleep will never lie." 

20. Samarcand (udm arkdncV). The ancient Marcanda, destroyed by 
Alexander ; later the great conqueror Timur's capital. See map of Asia. 

23. Ader-baijan tdd'cr-bl'i/dii). A northern province of Persia. 

29. I seek . . . son. VVliat effect is produced by the repetitions in this 
sentence? 

80. Uustuni {rods' turn). This celebrated Persian hero is supposed to have 
lived about (300 years B.C. His romantic life, a mixture of fact and fiction, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 17 

Should one day greet, upon some well-fought field, 

His not unworthy, not inglorious son. 

So I long hoped, but him I never find. 

Come then, hear now, and grant me what I ask. 

Let the two armies rest to-day ; but I 5 

Will challenge forth the bravest Persian lords 

To meet me, man to man ; if I prevail, 

Rustum will surely hear it ; if I fall — 

Old man, the dead need no one, claim no kin. 

Dim is the rumor of a common fight, 10 

Where host meets host, and many names are sunk ; 

But of a single combat fame speaks clear." ^- ' • 

He spoke ; and Peran-Wisa took the hand 
Of the young man in his, and sighed, and said : 

" O Sohrab, an unquiet heart is thine ! 15 

Canst thou not rest among the Tartar chiefs. 
And share the battle's common chance with us 
Who love thee, but must press forever first. 
In single fight incurring single risk, 

To find a father thou hast never seen ? 20 

That were far best, my son, to stay with us 
Unmurmuring ; in our tents, while it is war, 
And when 'tis truce, then in Afrasiab's towns. 
But, if this one desire indeed rules all. 

To seek out Rustum — seek him not through figM ! 25 

Seek him in peace, and carry to his arms, 
O Sohrab, carry an unwounded son ! 
But far hence seek him, for he is not here. 
For now it is not as when I was young, 

When Rustum was in front of every fray ; 30 

But now he keeps apart, and sits at home, 
In Seistan, with Zal, his father old. 

is tl^e favorite theme of Persian poets. Some believe that he was a com- 
mander under C3"rus the Great. The name is variously spelled Boostam, 
Roostcm, Eosteiti, Rnustem, etc. 

10. Commoii fi^ht. General fight, in which all are engraged. 

:W. Seistan {se-is tan'). Also Sistnn. A province and lake in Afgha- 
nistan. 

;w. Zal (2(77) He was distinguished in Persian legend as a hei'o, but 
mainly as the father of Rustuui. 



18 SOHRAB AND EUSTUM. 

Whether that his own mighty strength at last ^ 

Feels the abhorred approaches of old age, 

Or in some quarrel with the Persian King. 

There go ! — thou wilt not ? Yet my heart forebodes 

Danger or death awaits thee on this field. 5 

Fain would I know thee safe and well, though lost 

To us ; fain therefore send thee hence, in peace 

To seek thy father, not seek single fights 

In vain ; — but who can keep the lion's cub 

From ravening, and who govern Kustum's son ? 10 

Go, I will grant thee what thy heart desires." 

So said he, and dropped Sohrab's hand, and left 
His bed, and the warm rugs whereon he lay ; 
And o'er his chilly limbs his woolen coat 
He passed, and tied his sandals on his feet, 15 

And threw a white cloak round him, and he took 
In his right hand a ruler's staff, no sword ; 
And on his head he set his sheepskin cap, 
Black, glossy, curled, the fleece of Kara-Kul ; 
And raised the curtain of his tent, and called 20 

His herald to his side, and went abroad. 

The sun by this had risen, and cleared the fog 
From the broad Oxus and the glittering sands. 
And from their tents the Tartar horsemen filed 
Into the open plain ; so Haman bade — 25 

Haman, who next to Peran-Wisa ruled 
The host, and still was in his lusty prime. 
From their black tents, long files of horse, they streamed ; 
As when some gray November morn the files. 
In marching order spread, of long-necked cranes 30 

Stream over Casbin and the southern slopes 



1-3. Whether that . . . Or in. Either because ... Or because of. 

10. Ravening. Olitaininj? prey by violence, like auimals. So in Eze. 
xxii. 25 : " like a roaring lion ravening the prey.'" 

19. Kara-KuI (kd'rd-kool). A famous pasturag^e for sheep in Bokhara. 

25. Haman (hd'man). In the original poem he aids in deceiving Sohrab 
as to his father's presence in thePersian army. 

31. Casbin. Also Kasvin ; a city of Persia, once the seat of royalty. 
Near it, to the north, are the Elburz (el'boo'z) mountains. 



Sf HRAB AND RUSTUM, 19 

//^ 

Of Elburz, from fV'o Aralian estuaries, 

Or some frore Caspian reed-bed, southward bound 

For the warm Persian seaboard — so they streamed. 

The Tartars of the Oxus, the King's guard. 

First, with black slieepskin caps and with long spears ; 5 

Large men, large steeds ; who from Bokhara come 

And Khiva, and ferment the milk of mares. 

Next, the more temperate Toorkmuns of the south, 

The Tukas, and the lances of Salore, 

And those from Attruck and the Caspian sands ; 10 

Light men and on light steeds, who only drink 

The acrid milk of camels, and their wells. 

And then a swarm of wandering horse, who came 

From far, and a more doubtful service owned ; 

The Tartars of Ferghana, from the banks 15 

Of the Jaxartes, men with scanty beards 

And close-set skullcaps ; and those wilder hordes 

Who roam o'er Kipchak and the northern waste, 

Kalmucks and unkempt Kuzzaks, tribes who stray 

Nearest the Pole, and wandering Kirghizzes, 20 



2. Frore. Frozen, frosty. Anglo-Saxon froren, from freosau, to 
freeze. 

/. Khiva (ke'vd). An important province, or khanate, of Turkestan. 
Its capital is Khiva. 

7. Milk of mares. This intoxicating liquor, used by the Tartars, is 
called kdumiss. Tlie name is now applied to a somewhat similar prepara- 
tion of milk for invalids. 

8. Toorkiuun. The Toorkmuns, or Turkomans, are Tartars inhabiting 
the steppe east of the Caspian and south of the Oxus. 

10. Attruck. Also Airak ; a rivei- emptying into the Caspian Sea. 

14. A luore doubtful service owned. They did not acknowledge 
obedience to King Afrasiab, and therefore formed an uncertain part of the 
army. 

15. Ferghana (fer-qhd'nd). A province of Turkestan, in which are the 
head-waters of the river Jaxartes (jax-ar'teez), the modern Sihon, or Syr 
Daria. 

18. Kipchak. A name once applied to a large region bordering the 
Caspian Sea on the north. 

19. Kalmucks. Or CfdiHiicfcs ,' a nomadic race, inhabiting various parts 
of the Russian and Chinese empires. They live iu "conical felt tents, set 
up in regular lines like the streets of a town. Their wealth consists entirely 
in small but high-spirited horses, excellent cattle, and broad-tailed, rough- 
fleeced sheep." 

19. Kuzzaks (kooz'zaks). The modern Cossacks, a wandering Russian 
tribe. 

:^0. Kirghizzes (kir'ghi-zeez). A fierce Mongolian tribe from the high 
mountainous regions. 



'20 SOHRAB AND BUST TM. 

"Who come on shaggy ponies from Pamere , ' -/ ^ 

These all filed out from camp into the plain. 

And on the other side the Persians formed ; — 

First a light cloud of horse, Tartai's they seemed, 

The Ilyats of Khorassan ; and behind, 5 

The royal troops of Persia, horse and foot, a / i -- 

Marshaled battalions bright in burnished steel. Ojlj/^^i/^^y^jb'^^f^^^^ 

But Peran-Wisa with his herald came. 

Threading the Tartar squadrons to the front. 

And with his staff kejjt back the foremost ranks. 10 

And when Ferood, who led the Persians, saw 

That Peran-Wisa kept the Tartars back, 

He took his spear, and to the front he came, 

And checked his ranks, and fixed them where they stood. 

And the old Tartar came upon the sand 15 

Betwixt the silent hosts, and spake, and said : 

" Ferood, and ye, Persians and Tartars, hear ! 
Let there be truce between the hosts to-day. 
But choose a champion from the Persian lords 
To fight our champion Sohrab, man to man." 20 

As, in the country, on a morn in June, 
When the dew glistens on the pearled ears, 
A shiver runs through the deep corn for joy — 
So, when they heard what Peran-Wisa said, 
A thrill through all the Tartar squadrons ran 35 

Of pride and hope for Sohrab, whom they loved. 

But as a troop of peddlers, from Cabool, 
Cross underneath the Indian Caucasus, 
That vast sky-neighboring mountain of milk snow ; 
Crossing so high, that, as they mount, they pass 30 

Long flocks of traveling birds dead on the snow, 

5. Khorassan {ko-rds-sda'). "The land of the Sun"; a nonlieastern 
province of Persia. Ilyats (il'i-dls). a wurd meaning tribes, is applied col- 
lectively to the Tartar tribes of this province. 
23. Corn. Used in the European sense of grain, as wheat, barley, etc. 

27. Cabool (kd-booV). Also Cabul and Kabul ; the capital of Afghan- 
istan. 

28. Indian Caucasus. The same as the Hindoo Koosh mountains, 
between Afghanistan and Turkestan. 



SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 21 

f 

Choked by the air, and scarce can they themselves 

Slake their parched throats with sugared mulberries — 

In single file they move, and stop their breath, 

For fear they should dislodge the o'erhanging snows — 

So the pale Persians held their breath with fear. 5 

And to Ferood his brother chiefs came up 
To counsel ; Gudurz and Zoarrah came, 
And Feraburz, who ruled the Persian host 
Second, and was the uncle of the King ; 
These came and counseled, and then Gudurz said : 10 

" Ferood, shame bids us take their challenge up. 
Yet champion have we none to match this youth. ,^..^. ^ 

He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart. fh/\j/^y^\^ (\ 
But Kustum came last night ; aloof he sits 
And sullen, and has pitched his tents apart. 15 

Him will I seek, and carry to his ear 
The Tartar challenge, and tliis young man's name. 
Haply he will forget his wratii, and fight. 
Stand forth the while, and take their challenge up." 

So spake he ; and Ferood stood forth and cried : 20 

" Old man, be it agreed as thou hast said ! 
Let Sohrab arm, and we will find a man." 

He spake : and Peran-Wisa turned, and strode 
Back through the opening squadrons to his tent. 
But through the anxious Persians Gudurz ran, 25 

And crossed the camp which lay behind, and reached, 
Out on the sands beyond it, Eustum's tents. 
Of scarlet cloth they were, and glittering gay, 
Just pitched ; the high pavilion in the midst 
Was Rustum's, and his men lay camped around. 30 

And Gudurz entered Rustum's tent, and found 
Rustum ; his morning meal was done, but still 
The table stood before him, charged with food — 
A side of roasted sheep, and cakes of bread, 

1. Choked by the air. Explain the conditions that produce tin's 
eflffct. SugKi'st any Alpine experiences or arlventui-es tliat justify the de- 
scription contained in this fine simile, 11. 27, p. 2U to 5, p 21. 

7. Gnduvz (goo' door z); Zoarrah (zode'ra/t) I Feraburz (/e'rd-6ooJ"«). 



22 SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 

And dark -green melons ; and there Kustum sate CJf 

Listless, and held a falcon on his wrist. 

And i^layed with it ; but Gudurz came and stood 

Before him ; and he looked, and saw him stand, 

And with a cry sprang up and dropped the bird, 5 

And greeted Gudurz with both hands, and said : 

" Welcome ! these eyes could see no better sight. 
"What news ? but sit down first, and eat and drink." 

But Gudurz stood in the tent door, and said : 
" Not now ! a time will come to eat and drink, 10. 

But not to-day ; to-day has other needs. 
The armies are drawn out, and stand at gaze ; 
For from the Tartars is a challenge brought 
To pick a champion from the Persian lords 
To fight their champion — and thou know'st his name — W 
Sohrab men call him, but his birth is hid. 
O Rustum, like thy might is this young man's ! 
He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart ; 
And he is young, and Iran's chiefs are old, 
Or else too weak ; and all eyes turn to thee. 20 

Come down and help us, Rustum, or we lose ! " 

He spoke ; but Rustum answered with a smile : 
" Go to ! if Iran's chiefs are old, then I 
Am older ; if the young are weak, the King 
Errs strangely ; for the King, for Kai Khosroo, 25 

1. Sate. Obsolete form of sat, 

2. Falconry, or tht? sport of using falcons and hawks in hunting', has been 
practiced in the East from the most ancient times. It was known in China 
2000 years b.c. According to Lajard, ''a falconer hearing a hawk on his 
wrist" was found represented in the bas-reliefs of Nineveh. 

7 to 8, p. 24. Those who are familiar witli Homer's Iliad will find many 
suggestive similarities in Arnold's poem, notably in the simple and direct 
language, in the fine similes, and in some of the incidents. This appeal to 
Rustum recalls the appeal to the " implacable Achilles " in the Iliad, book ix. 
The poem is an evidence of Arnold's splendid classical culture and of his 
ability to make English verses truly Homeric in quality. 

19. Iran's chiefs. Persia is called Iran by the Persians themselves. 
According to the Shah-Namah, there were two brothers, Iran and Tur, from 
whom sprang the Iranians and Turanians. 

23. Go to. An old phrase of exhortation, often contemptuous, common 
in the Scriptures and in Shakespeare, as in " Twelfth Night," IV, 1: "Go to, 
go to, thou art a foolish fellow." 

25. Kai Khosroo (kl kos-roo'). The Persian name of Cyrus the Great. 
He was the third of the Kaianiau dynasty, the founder of which, Kai Kobad, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 23 

Himself is young, and honors younger men, ^T^i /j 

And lets the aged molder to their graves. 

Kustum he loves no more, but loves the young — 

The young may rise at Sohrab's vaunts, not I. 

For what care I, though all speak Sohrab's fame ? 5 

For would that I myself had such a son, 

And not that one slight helpless girl I have— 

A son so famed, so brave, to send to war, 

And I to tarry with the snow-haired Zal, 

My father, whom the robber Afghans vex, 10 

And clip his borders short, and drive his herds, 

And he has none to guard his weak old age. 

There would I go, and hang my armor up. 

And with my great name fence that weak old man, 

And spend the goodly treasures I have got, 15 

And rest my age, and hear of Sohrab's fame, 

And leave to death the hosts of thankless kings. 

And with these slaughterous hands draw sword no more." 

He spoke, and smiled ; and Gudurz made reply : 
" What then, O Rustum, will men say to this, 20 

When Sohrab dares our bravest forth, and seeks 
Thee most of all, and thou, whom most he seeks, 
Hidest thy face ? Take heed lest men should say : 
' Like some old miser, Rustum hoards his fame. 
And shuns to peril it with younger men.' " 25 

And, greatly moved, then Rustum made rejDly : 
" O Gudurz, wherefore dost thou say such words ? 
Thou knowest better words than this to say. 

according to legend, was placed upon the throne by Rustum. In th<; 
"Rubaiyat " of Omar Khayyam (Fitzgerald's translation) we have : 

" What have we to do 
W^ith Kaikobad the Great, or Kaikhosru ? 
Let Zal and Rustum thunder as they will." 

Arnold has transferred the scene of the poem from the reign of Kai Kaoos, 
as given in the ShahNamah, to the more glorious reign of Kai Khosroo. 

7. Helpless girl. He had been deceived by the mother. See Introduc- 
tion, and 11. ll-lT,p. 34. 

10. Snow-li!iii-e<i Zal. He was born with white hair, and this being 
regarded as an ill omen by the father, he was exposed upon the mountains 
to perish ; but was miraculously preserved by a prodigious bird, and 
Xeceived again by his father. See 11. 18-22, p. 36. 



24 SOHEAB AND RUSTUM. 



.¥* 



What is one more, one less, obscure or famed, 

Valiant or craven, young or old, to me ? 

Are not they mortal, am not I myself ? 

But who for men of naught would do great deeds ? 

Come, thou slialt see how Rustum hoards his fame ! 5 

But I will fight unknown, and in plain arms ; 

Let not men say of Rustum, he was matched 

In single fight with any mortal man." 

He spoke, and frowned ; and Gudurz turned, and ran 
Back quickly through the camp in fear and joy— 10 

Fear at his wrath, but joy that Rustum came. 
But Rustum strode to his tent door, and called 
His followers in, and bade them bring his arms, 
And clad himself in steel ; the arms he chose 
Were plain, and on his shield was no device, 15 

Only his helm was rich, inlaid with gold. 
And, from the fluted spine atop, a plume 
Of horsehair waved, a scarlet horsehair plume. 
So armed, he issued forth ; and Ruksh, his horse, 
Followed him like a faithful hound at heel — 20 

Ruksh, whose renown was noised through all the earth, 
The horse, whom Rustum on a foray once 
Did in Bokhara by the river find 
A colt beneath its dam, and drove him home, 
And reared him ; a bright bay, with lofty crest, 25 

Dight with a saddlecloth of broidered green 
Crusted wiuh gold, and on the ground were worked 
All beasts of chase, all beasts which hunters know. 
So followed, Rustum left his tents, and crossed 
The camp, and to the Persian host appeared. 30 

And all the Persians knew him, and with shouts 
Hailed ; but the Tartars knew not who he was. 

19. Ruksh (rookah). This horse plays an important part in the story of 
Rustum (see Introduction). Recall other famous horses of mythical and 
historical heroes, as the " swift-footed " Xanthus of Achilles, Alexander's 
Bucephalus, the Cid's Babieca, etc. 

26. Dight. Deckerl, arrayed. From Anglo-Saxon dihtan, to prepare, 
dress. So in Milton's " L' Allegro " : "The clouds in thousand liveries 
dight." 



SOIIEAB AND RUSTUM. 25 

And dear as the wet diver to the eyes 

Of his pale wife who waits and weeps on shore, 

By sandy Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf, 

Plunging all day in the blue waves, at night, 

Having made up his tale of precious pearls, 5 

Rejoins her in their hut upon the sands — 

So dear to the pale Persians Rustum came. 

And Rustum to the Persian front advanced, 
And Sohrab armed in Haman's tent, and came. 
And as afield the reapers cut a swath 10 

Down through the middle of a rich man's corn, 
And on each side are squares of standing corn, 
And in the midst a stubble, short and bare — 
So on each side were squares of men, with spears 
Bristling, and in the midst, the open sand, 15 

And Rustum came upon the sand, and cast 
His eyes toward the Tartar tents, and saw 
Sohrab come forth, and eyed him as he came. 

As some rich woman, on a winter's moi'n. 
Eyes through her silken curtains the poor drudge 20 

Who with numb blackened fingers makes her fire — 
At cockcrow, on a starlit winter's morn, 
"When the frost flowers the whitened window-panes — 
And wonders how she lives, and what the thoughts 
Of that poor drudge may be ; so Rustum eyed 25 

The unknown adventurous youth, who from afar 
Came seeking Rustum, and defying forth 
All the most valiant chiefs ; long he perused 
His spirited air, and wondered who he was. 
For very young he seemed, tenderly reared ; 30 

Like some young cypress, tall, and dark, and straight, 
"Which in a queen's secluded garden throws 
Its slight dark shadow on the moonlit turf. 
By midnight, to a bubbling fountain's sound — 

3. Bahrein (bd'rdn). An island in the Persian Gulf, famous for its pearl 
fislieiies 

5. Tale. Number, or reckoning. From A.S Inlinn to tell, count. The 
Israelites in Egypt had to make their " tale of biicks." 



26 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

So slender Sohrab seemed, so softly reared. 
And a deep pity entered Rustum's soul 
As he beheld him coming ; and he stood, 
And beckoned to him with his hand, and said : 

" O thou young man, the air of heaven is soft, 5 

And wai'm, and pleasant ; but the grave is cold 1 
Heaven's air is better than the cold dead grave. 
Behold me ! I am vast, and clad in iron. 
And tried ; and I have stood on many a field 
Of blood, and I have fought with many a foe — 10 

Never was that field lost, or that foe saved. 
O Sohrab, wherefore wilt thou rush on death ? 
Be governed ! quit the Tartar host, and come 
To Iran, and be as my son to me. 

And fight beneath my banner till I die ! 15 

There are no youths in Iran brave as thou." 

So he spake, mildly ; Sohrab heard his voice, 
The mighty voice of Rustum, and he saw 
His giant figure planted on the sand. 

Sole, like some single tower, which a chief 20 

Hath builded on the waste in former years 
Against the robbers ; and he saw that head, 
Streaked with its first gray hairs ; — hope filled his soul, 
And he ran forward and embraced his knees. 
And clasped his hand within his own, and said : 25 

" Oh, by thy father's head ! by thine own soul ! 
Art thou not Rustxim ? spealc ! are thou not he ? " 

But Rustum eyed askance the kneeling youth, 
And turned away, and spake to his own soul : 

" Ah me, I muse what this young fox may mean 1 30 

False, wily, boastful, are these Tartar boys. 
For if I now conf&ss this thing he asks. 
And hide it not, but say : ' Rustum is here ! ' 
He will not yield indeed, nor quit our foes, 
But he will find some pretext not to fight, 35 

9. Tried. Tiie same as proved, 1. 34, p. 27. 
11. The antithesis here is strengthened by alliteration. 



SOHRAB AND EUSTUM. 27 

And praise my fame, and proffer courteous gifts, 

A belt or sword perhaps, and go his way. 

And on a feast-tide, in Afrasiab's hall, 

In Samarcand, he will arise and cry : 

' I challenged once, when the two armies camped 5 

Beside the Oxus, all the Persian lords 

To cope with me in single fight ; but they 

Shrank, only Rustum dared ; then he and I 

Changed gifts, and went on equal terms away.' 

So will he speak, perhaps, while men applaud ; 10 

Then were the chiefs of Iran shamed through me." 

And then he turned, and sternly spake aloud : 
" Rise ! wherefore dost thou vainly question thus 
Of Rustum ? I am here, whom thou hast called 
By challenge forth ; make good thy vaunt, or yield 1 15 

Is it with Rustum only thou wouldst fight ? 
Rash boy, men look on Rustum's face and flee ! 
For well I know, that did great Rustum stand 
Before thy face this day, and were revealed, 
There would be then no talk of fighting more. 20 

But being what I am, I tell thee this — , 

Do thou record it in thine inmost soul : 
Either thou shalt renounce thy vaunt and yield, 
Or else thy bones shall strew this sand, till winds 
Bleach them, or Oxus with his summer floods, 25 

Oxus in summer wash them all away." 

He spoke ; and Sohrab answered, on his feet : 
" Art thou so fierce ? Thou wilt not fright me so I 
T am no girl, to be made pale by words. 

Yet this thou hast said well, did Rustum stand 30 

Here on this field, there were no fighting then. 
But Rustum is far hence, and we stand here. 
Begin ! thou art more vast, more dread than I, 
And thou art proved, I know, and I am young 
But yet success sways with the bi'eath of heaven. 35 

11. Were. AVould be. 

33. Dread. Inspiring awe, or fear. So " dread sovereign." 



28 SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 

And though thou thinkest that thou knowest sure 
Thy victory, yet thou canst not surely know. 

•For we are all, like swimmers in the sea, 
Poised on the top of a huge wave of fate, 
Which hangs uncertain to which side to fall. 5 

And whether it will heave us up to land, 
Or whether it will roll us out to sea. 
Back out to sea, to the deep waves of death. 
We know not, and no search will make us know ; 

•Only the event will teach us in its hour." 10 

' \ He spoke, and Eustum answered not, but hurled 
His spear ; down from the shoulder, down it came, 
As on some partridge in the corn a hawk, 
That long has towered in the airy clouds. 
Drops like a plummet ; Sohrab saw it come, 15 

And sprang aside, quick as a flash ; the spear 
Hissed, and went quivering down into the sand. 
Which it sent flying wide ; — then Sohrab threw 
In turn, and full struck Rustum's shield ; sharp rang, 
The iron plates rang sharp, but turned the spear. 20 

And Rustum seized his club, which none but he 
Could wield ; an unlopped trunk it was, and huge. 
Still rough — like those which men in treeless plains 
To build them boats fish from the flooded rivers, 
Hyphasis or Hydaspes, when, high up 25 

By their dark springs, the wind in winter time 
Hath made in Himalayan forests wrack. 
And strewn the channels with torn bouglis — so huge 
The club which Rustum lifted now, and struck 
One stroke ; but again Sohrab sprang aside, 30 

Lithe as the glancing snake, and the club came 
Thundering to earth, and leapt from Rustum's hand. 

22. Unlopped. Not cut and trinimed with an axe. The Cyclops, 
Polyphemus, used a pine tree as a walking stick (Virgil's ^ueid, bk. iii). 
The weapon of Hercules was a club. 

25. Myphnsis (hi fa'sis) or yiydaspes (hi-rlas'peez). Rivers of Northern 
India, tributaries of the Indus, the modern Beas and Jhelum. 

26. Dark springs. Why "dark springs "? 

27. WracJi. Wreck, ruin; A.S. rercec, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 29 

And Rustum followed his own blow, and fell 

To his knees, and with his fingers clutched the sand ; 

And now might Sohrab have unsheathed his sword, 

And pierced the mighty Rustum while he lay 

Dizzy, and on his knees, and choked with sand ; 5 

But he looked on, and smiled, nor bared his sword. 

But courteously drew back, and spoke, and said : 

" Thou strik'st too hard ! that club of thine will float 
Upon the summer floods, and not my bones. 
But rise, and be not wroth ! not wroth am I ; 10 

No, when I see thee, wrath forsakes my soul, 
Thou say'st, thou art not Rustum ; be it so ! 
Who art thou then, that canst so touch my soul. 
Boy as I am, I have seen battles too — 

Have waded foremost in their bloody waives, 15 

And heard their hollow roar of dying men ; 
But never was my heart thus touched before. 
Are they from Heaven, these softenings of the heart ? 
O thou old warrior, let us yield to Heaven ! 
Come, plant w^e here in earth our angry spears, 20 

And make a truce, and sit upon this sand, 
And pledge each other in red wine, like friends, 
And thou shalt talk to me of Rustum's deeds. 
There are enough foes in the Persian host. 
Whom I may meet, and strike, and feel no pang ; 25 

Champions enough Afrasiab has, whom thou 
Alayst fight ; fight them, when they confront thy spear ! 
But oh, let there be peace 'twixt thee and me ! " 

He ceased, but while he spake, Rustum had risen. 
And stood erect, trembling with rage ; his club . 30 

He left to lie, but had regained his spear, 
Whose fiery point now in his mailed right hand 
Blazed bright and baleful, like that autumn star, 
TJie baleful sign of fevers ; dust had soiled 
His stately crest, and dimmed his glittering arms. 35 

33. Autumn star. Siring, the Dosr-star, is probably referred to, an 
object of much superstition in both ancient and niodern times. 



30 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

His breast heaved, his lips foamed, and twice his voice 
Was choked with rage ; at last these words broke way : 

" Girl ! nimble with thy feet, not with thy hands ! 
Curled minion, dancer, coiner of sweet words ! 
Fight, let me hear thy hateful voice no more ! 5 

Thou art not in Afrasiab's gardens now 
With Tartar girls, with whom thou art wont to dance ; 
But on the Oxus sands, and in the dance 
Of battle, and with me, who make no play 
Of war ; I fight it out, and hand to hand. 10 

Speak not to me of truce, and pledge, and wine ! 
Kemember all thy valor ; try thy feints 
And cunning ! all the pity I had is gone ; 
Because thou hast shamed me before both the hosts 
With thy light skipping tricks, and thy girl's wiles." 15 

He spoke, and Sohrab kindled at his taunts. 
And he too drew his sword ; at once they rushed 
Together, as two eagles on one prey 
Come rushing down together from the clouds, 
One from the east, one from the west ; their shields 20 

Dashed with a clang together, and a din 
Kose, such as that the sinewy woodcutters 
Make often in the forest's heart at morn. 
Of hewing axes, crashing trees — such blows 
Rustum and Sohrab on each other hailed. 25 

And you would say that sun and stars took part 
In that unnatural conflict ; for a cloud 
Grew suddenly in heaven, and darked the sun 
Over the fighters' heads ; and a wind rose 
Under their feet, and moaning swept the plain, 30 

And in a sandy whirlwind wrapped the pair. 
In gloom they twain were wrapped, and they alone ; 
For botli the on-looking hosts on either hand 
Stood in broad daylight, and the sky was pure, 
And the sun sparkled on the Oxus stream. 35 

27. Unnatural. It was against nature that father and son should be 
thus fighting. 



SOHEAB AND EUSTUM. 31 

But in the gloom they fought, with bloodshot eyes 

And laboring breath ; first Eustum struck the shield 

Which Sohrab held stiff out ; the steel-spiked spear 

Rent the tough plates, but failed to reach the skin, 

And Rustum plucked it back with angry groan. 5 

Then Sohrab with his sword smote Rustum's helm, 

Nor clove its steel quite through ; but all the crest 

He shore away, and that proud horsehair plume. 

Never till now defiled, sank to the dust ; 

And Rustum bowed his head ; but then the gloom 10 

Grew blacker, thunder rumbled in the air. 

And lightnings rent the cloud ; and Ruksh, the horse, 

Who stood at hand, uttered a dreadful cry ; — 

No horse's cry was that, most like the roar 

Of some pained desert lion, who all day 15 

Hath trailed the hunter's javelin in his side, 

And comes at night to die upon the sand. 

The two hosts heard that cry, and quaked for fear, 

And Oxus curdled as it crossed his stream. 

But Sohrab heard, and quailed not, but rushed on, , 20 

And struck again ; and again Rustum bowed 

His head ; but this time all the blade, like glass, 

Sprang in a thousand shivers on the helm, 

And in the hand the hilt remained alone. 

Then Rustum raised his head ; his dreadful eyes 25 

Glared, and he shook on high his menacing spear, 

And shouted : " Rustum ! " — Sohrab heard that shout. 

And shrank amazed : back he recoiled one step. 

And scanned with blinking eyes the advancing form ; 

And then he stood bewildered ; and he dropped 30 

His covering shield, and the spear pierced his side. 

He reeled, and, staggering back, sank to the ground ; 

And then the gloom dispersed, and the wind fell, 

8. Shore. Obsolete preterite of shear, allowable only in poetry. From 
A.S. scoan, to cut; scarf, scrip, sluire, sltore, shred, and niauy other words 
indicating something: cut off, are from this root. 

33. What is the effect of the repetition of and ? Compare Matthew 
vii. 27. 



32 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And the bright sun broke forth, and meited all 
The cloud ; and the two armjes saw the pair — 
Saw Rustum standing, safe upon his feet, 
And Sohrab, wounded, on the bloody sand. 

Then, with a bitter smile, Rustum began : *5 

"Sohrab, thou thoughtest in tliy mind to kill 
A Persian lord this day, and strip his corpse, 
And bear thy trophies to Afrasiab's tent ; 
Or else that the great Rustum would come down 
Himself to fight, and that thy wiles would move 10 

His heart to take a gift, and let thee go ; 
And then that all the Tartar host would praise 
Thy courage or thy craft, and spread thy fame, 
To glad thy father in his weak old age. 

Fool, thou art slain, and by an unknown man ! 15 

Dearer to the red jackals shalt thou be 
Than to thy friends, and to thy father old." 

And, with a fearless mien, Sohrab replied : 
" Unknown thou art ; yet thy fierce vaunt is vain. 
Thou dost not slay me, proud and boastful man ! 20 

No I Rustum slays me, and this filial heart. 
For were I matched with ten such men as thee, 
And I were that which till to-day I was. 
They should be lying here, I standing there. 
But that beloved name unnerved my arm — 25 

That name, and something, I confess, in thee, 
Which troubles all my heart, and made my shield 
Fall ; and thy spear transfixed an unarmed foe. 
And now thou boastest, and insults't my fate. 
But hear thou this, fierce man, tremble to hear : 30 

The mighty Rustum shall avenge my death ! 
My father, whom I seek through all the world. 
He shall avenge my death, and punish thee ! " 

As when some hunter in the spring hath found 
A breeding eagle sitting on her nest, 35 

Upon the craggy isle of a hill lake, 
And pierced her with an arrow as she rose, 



SOHRAB AND EUSTUM. 33 

And followed her to find her where she fell 

Far off ; — anon her mate comes winging back 

From hunting, and a great way off descries 

His huddling young left sole ; at that, he checks 

His pinion, and with short uneasy sweeps 5 

Circles above his eyry, with loud screams 

Chiding his mate back to her nest ; but she 

Lies dying, with the arrow in her side, 

In some far stony gorge out of his ken, 

A heap of fluttering feathers— never more 10 

Shall the lake glass her, flying over it ; 

Never the black and dripping precipices 

Echo her stormy scream as she sails by — 

As that poor bird flies home, nor knows his loss, 

So Rustum knew not his own loss, but stood 15 

Over his dying son, and knew him not. 

But, with a cold incredulous voice, he said : 
" What prate is this of fathers and revenge ? 
The mighty Rustum never had a son." 

And, with a failing voice, Sohrab replied : 20 

" Ah yes, he had ! and that lost son am I. 
Surely the news will one day reach his ear. 
Reach Rustum, where he sits, and tarries long, 
Somewhere, I know not where, but far from here ; 
And pierce him like a stab, and make him leap 25 

To arms, and cry for vengeance upon thee. 
Fierce man, bethink thee, for an only son ! 
What will that grief, what will that vengeance be ? 
Oh, could I live till I that grief had seen ! 
Yet him I pity not so much, but her, 30 

My mother, who in Ader-baijan dwells 
With that old king, her father, who grows gray 
With age, and rules over the valiant Koords. 
Her most I pity, who no more will see 
Sohrab returning from the Tartar camp, 35 

11. Glass her. Reflect her image, like a niiiror. 



34 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

With cpoils and honor, when the war is done. 

But a dark rumor will be bruited up, 

From tribe to tribe, until it reach her ear ; 

And then will that defenseless woman learn 

That Sohrab will rejoice her sight no more, 5 

But that in battle with a nameless foe, 

By the far-distant Oxus, he is slain." 

He spoke ; and as he ceased, he wept aloud, 
Thinking of her he left, and his own death. 
He spoke ; but Rustum listened, plunged in thought. 10 

Nor did he yet believe it was his son 
Who spoke, although he called back names he knew ; 
For he had had sure tidings that the babe. 
Which was in Ader-baijan born to him. 

Had been a puny girl, no boy at all — 15 

So that sad mother sent him word, for fear 
Eustum should seek the boy, to train in arms. 
And so he deemed that either Sohrab took, 
By a false boast, the style of Rustum's son ; 
Or that men gave it him, to swell his fame. 20 

So deemed he : yet he listened, plunged in thought ; 
And his soul set to grief, as the vast tide 
Of the bright rocking Ocean sets to shore 
At the full moon ; tears gathered in his eyes ; 
For he remembered his own early youth, 25 

And all its bounding rapture ; as, at dawn, 
The shepherd from his mountain lodge descries 
A far, bright city, smitten by the sun. 
Through many rolling clouds — so Rustum saw 
His youth ; saw Sohrab's mother, in her bloom ; 30 

And that old king, her father, who loved well 
His wandering guest, and gave him his fair child 
With joy ; and all the pleasant life they led, 

2. Bruited up. Circulated, noised abroad. 
39. Tlie style. The title, or name. 

S8. Smitten. Note tlie appropriateness of the word, to describe the 
sudden effect of the sun's rays shooting; forth from behind a cloud. 
31. That old king. The king of Samengan. See Introduction. 



SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 35 

They three, in that long-distant summer time — 

The castle, and the dewy woods, and hunt 

And hound, and morn on those delightful hills 

In Ader-baijan. And he saw that youth, 

Of age and looks to be his own dear son, 5 

Piteous and lovely, lying on the sand. 

Like some rich hyacinth which by the scythe 

Of an unskillful gardener has been cut, 

Mowing the garden grassplots near its bed. 

And lies, a fragrant tower of purple bloom, 10 

On the mown, dying grass — so Sohrab lay. 

Lovely in death, upon tlie common sand. 

And Eustum gazed on him with grief, and said : 

" O Sohrab, thou indeed art such a son 
Whom Rustum, wert thou his, might well have loved ! 15 

Yet here thou errest, Sohrab, or else men 
Have told thee false — thou art not Rustum's son. 
For Rustum had no son ; one child he had — 
But one — a girl ; who with her mother now 
Plies some light female task, nor dreams of us — 20 

Of us she dreams not, nor of wounds, nor war." 

But Sohrab answered him in wrath ; for now 
The anguish of the deep-fixed spear gi-ew fierce, 
And he desired to draw forth the steel. 

And let the blood flow free, and so to die — 25 

But first he would convince his stubborn foe ; 
And, rising sternly on one arm, he said : 

" Man, who art thou who dost deny my words ? 
Truth sits upon the lips of dying men. 

And falsehood, while I lived, was far from mine. 30 

I tell thee, pricked upon this arm I bear 
The seal which Rustum to my mother gave. 
That she might prick it on the babe she bore." 

He spoke ; and all the blood left Rustum's cheeks. 



.5. Of i«ge and looks to be. Of such age and looks that he might be. 
32. Tliat seal. In the original it is an onj'.x amulet, which he was to 
wear upon his arm. Why did Arnold change the token of recognition ? 



36 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And his knees tottered, and he smote his hand 

Against his breast, his heavy mailed hand, 

That the hard iron corselet clanked aloud ; 

And to his heart he pressed the other hand, 

And in a hollow voice he spake, and said : 5 

" Sohrab, that were a proof which could not lie ! 
If thou show this, then art thou Rustum's son." 

Then, with weak hasty fingers, Sohrab loosed 
His belt, and near the shoulder bared his arm, 
And showed a sign in faint vermilion points 10 

Pricked ; as a cunning workman, in Pekin, 
Pricks with vermilion some clear porcelain vase, 
An emperor's gift — at early morn he paints. 
And all day long, and, when night comes, the lamp 
Lights up his studious forehead and thin hands — 15 

So delicately pricked the sign appeared 
On Sohrab's arm, the sign of Rustum's seal. 
It was that griffin, which of old reared Zal, 
Rustum's great father, whom they left to die, 
A helpless babe, among the mountain rocks ; 30 

Him that kind creature found and reared, and loved — 
Then Rustum took it for his glorious sign. 
And Sohrab bared that image on his arm. 
And himself scanned it long with mournful eyes, 
And then he touched it with his hand, and said : 25 

" How say'st thou ? Is that sign the proper sign 
Of Rustum's son, or of some other man's ? " 

He spoke ; but Rustum gazed, and gazed, and stood 
Speechless ; and then he uttered one sharp cry : 
" O boy — thy father ! " — and his voice choked there. 30 

And then a dark cloud passed before his eyes. 
And his head swam, and he sank down to earth. 
But Sohrab crawled to where he lay, and cast 
His arms about his neck, and kissed his lips, 

3. That. So that. 
18. Griffin. Tli<^ marvelous vulture (like the Roc in the Arabian 

Niglits) that rescued and nurtured Zal when cast away by his father. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTTIM:. 37 

And with fond faltering fingers stroked his cheeks, 

Trying to call him back to life ; and life 

Came back to Rustum, and he oped his eyes, 

And they stood wide with horror ; and he seized 

In both his hands the dust which lay around, 5 

And threw it on his head, and smirched his hair, — 

His hair, and face, and beard, and glittering arms ; 

And strong convulsive groanings shook his breast. 

And his sobs choked him ; and he clutched his sword, 

To draw it, and forever let life out. 10 

But Sohrab saw his thought, and held his hands, 

And with a soothing voice he spake, and said : 

" Father, forbear ! for I but meet to-day 
The doom which at my birth was written down 
In heaven, and thou art heaven's unconscious hand. 15 

Surely my heart cried out that it was tliou, 
When first I saw thee ; and thy heart spoke too, 
I know it ! but fate trod those promptings down 
Under its iron heel ; fate, fate engaged 

The strife, and hurled me on my father's spear. 20 

But let us speak no more of this ! I find 
My father ; let me feel that I have found ! 
Come, sit beside me on this sand, and take 
My head betwixt thy hands, and kiss my cheeks. 
And wash them with thy tears, and say : ' My son ! ' 25 

Quick ! quick ! for numbered are my sands of life, 
And swift ; for like the lightning to this field 
I came, and like the wind I go away — 
Sudden, and swift, and like a passing wind. 
\ But it was writ in heaven that this should be." 30 

^" So said he, and his voice released the heart 
Of Rustum, and his tears broke forth ; he cast 
His arms round his son's neck, and wept aloud, 
And kissed him. And awe fell on both the hosts. 
When they saw Rustum's grief ; and Ruksh, the horse. 35 

Witli his head bowing to the ground and mane 
Sweeping the dust, came near, and in mute woe 



38 SOIIRAB AND RUSTUM. 

First to the one then to the other moved 

His head, as if inquiring what their gi'ief 

Might mean ; and from his dark, compassionate eyes, 

The big warm tears rolled down, and caked the sand. 

But Rustum chid him with stern voice, and said : 5 

" Ruksh, now thou grievest ; but, O Ruksh, thy feet 
Should first have rotted on their nimble joints, 
Or ere they brought thy master to this field ! " 

But Sohrab looked upon the horse, and said : 
" Is this, then, Ruksh ? How often, in past days, 10 

My mother told me of thee, thou brave steed, 
My terrible father's terrible horse ! and said. 
That I should one day find thy lord and thee. 
Come, let me lay my hand upon thy mane ! 
O Ruksh, thou art more fortunate than I ; 15 

For thou hast gone where I shall never go, 
And snuffed the breezes of my father's home. 
And thou hast trod the sands of Seistan, 
And seen the River of Helmund, and the Lake 
Of Zirrah ; and the aged Zal himself 30 

Has often stroked thy neck, and given thee food, 
Corn in a golden platter soaked with wine, 
And said : ' O Ruksh ! bear Rustum well,'— but I 
Have never known my grandsire's furrowed face. 
Nor seen his lofty house in Seistan, 25 

Nor slaked my thirst at the clear Helmund stream ; 
But lodged among my father's foes, and seen 
Afrasiab's cities only, Samarcand, 
Bokhara, and lone Khiva in the waste, 

And the black Toorkmun tents ; and only drunk 30 

The desert rivers, Moorghab and Tejend, 
Kohik, and where the Kalmuks feed their sheep, 



19. Helmund (hel'moond). A river of Afghanistan, flowing: through 
the province of Seistan. Near it is Lake Zirrah (ztr'rdh), now little more 
than a marsh. Wide possessions here had been given to Rustum by the 
Persian monarchs. 

31. Moorghiib, Tejend «e-?/end'), Kohik (fco-ZttVc')- Rivers of Turkestan 
that are gradually lost in the desert. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 39 

The northern Sir ; and this great Oxus stream, 
The yellow Oxus, by whose brink I die." 

Then, with a heavy groan, Rustum bewailed : 
" Oh, that its waves were flowing over me ! 
Oh, that I saw its grains of yellow silt 5 

Roll tumbling in the current o'er my head ! " 

But, with a grave mild voice, Sohrab replied : 
" Desire not that, my father ! thou must live. 
For some are born to do great deeds, and live, 
As some are born to be obscured, and die. 10 

Do thou the deeds I die too young to do, 
And reap a second glory in thine age ; 
Thou art my father, and thy gain is mine. 
But come ! thou seest this great host of men 
Which follow me ; I pray thee, slay not these ! 15 

Let me entreat for them ; what have they done ? 
They followed me, my hope, my fame, my star. 
Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace. 
But me thou must bear hence, not send with them, 
But carry me with thee to Seistan, 30 

And place me on a bed, and mourn for me. 
Thou, and the snow-haired Zal, and all thy friends. 
And thou must lay me in that lovely earth, 
And heap a stately mound above my bones, 
And plant a far-seen pillar over all. 25 

That so the passing horseman on the waste 
May see my tomb a great way off, and cry : 
' Sohrab, the mighty Rustum's son, lies there, 
"Whom his great father did in ignorance kill ! ' 
And I be not forgotten in my grave." 30 

And, with a mournful voice, Rustum replied : 
" Fear not ! as thou hast said, Sohrab, my son, 
So shall it be ; for I will burn my tents, 
And quit the host, and bear thee hence with me. 



1. Northern Sir. The Syr Daria, ancient Jaxartes. 
5. Grains of yellow silt. Mud or fine soil carried along by the water 
and tiually deposited. 



40 SOHRAB AND KUSTUM, 

And carry thee away to Seistan, 

And place thee on a bed, and mourn for thee, 

With the snow-headed Zal, and all my friends. 

And I will lay thee in that lovely earth, 

And heap a stately mound above thy bones, 5 

And plant a far-seen pillar over all, 

And men shall not forget thee in thy grave. 

And I will spare thy host ; yea, let them go ! 

Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace ! 

"What should I do with slaying any more ? 10 

For would that all that I have ever slain 

Might be once more alive ; my bitterest foes, 

And they who were called champions in their time, 

And through whose death I won that fame I have — 

And I were nothing but a common man, 15 

A poor, mean soldier, and without renown, 

So thou mightest live too, my son, my son ! 

Or rather would that I, even I myself. 

Might now be lying on this bloody sand, 

Near death, and by an ignorant stroke of thine, 20 

Not thou of mine ! and I might die, not thou ; 

And I, not thou, be borne to Seistan ; 

And Zal might weep above my grave, not thine ; 

And say : " O son, I weep thee not too sore, 

Tor willingly, I know, thou met'st thine end ! " 25 

But now in blood and battles was my youth, 

And full of blood and battles is my age. 

And I shall never end this life of blood." 

Then, at the point of death, Sohrab replied : 
" A life of blood indeed, thou dreadful man ! 30 

But thou shalt yet have peace ; only not now, 
Not yet ! but thou shalt have it on that day 
When thou shalt sail in a high-masted ship, 
Thou and the other peers of Kai Khosroo, 
Returning home over the salt blue sea, 25 

From laying thy dear master in his grave." 

And Rustum gazed in Sohrab's face, and said : 



SOHEAB AND RUSTUM. 41 

** Soon be that day, my son, and deep that sea ! 
Till then, if fate so wills, let me endure." 

He spoke ; and Sohrab smiled on him, and took 
The spear, and drew it from his side, and eased 
His wound's imperious anguish ; but the blood 5 

Came welling from the open gash, and life 
Flowed with the stream ; — all down his cold white side 
The crimson torrent ran, dim now and soiled. 
Like the soiled tissue of white violets 

Left, freshly gathered, on their native bank, 10 

By children whom their nurses call with haste 
Indoors from the sun's eye ; his head drooped low, 
His limbs grew slack ; motionless, white, he lay — 
White, with eyes closed ; only when heavy gasps, 
Deep heavy gasps quivering through all his frame, 15 

Convulsed him back to life, he opened them, 
And fixed them feebly on his father's face ; 
Till now all strength was ebbed, and from his limbs 
Unwillingly the spirit fled away, 

Kegretting the warm mansion which it left, 20 

And youth, and bloom, and this delightful world. 

So, on the bloody sand, Sohrab lay dead ; 
And the great Rustum drew his horseman's cloak 
Down o'er his face, and sate by his dead son. 
As those black granite pillars, once high-reared 25 

By Jemshid in Persepolis, to bear 
His house, now 'mid their broken flights of steps 
Lie prone, enormous, down the mountain side — 
So in the sand lay Rustum by his son. 

And night came down over the solemn waste, 30 

And the two gazing hosts, and that sole pair, 
And darkened all ; and a cold fog, with night, 
Crept from the Oxus. Soon a hum arose. 
As of a great assembly loosed, and fires 



26. Jemshid (jem'sheed). An ancient king; of Pei-sia, who is supposed 
to have added to the splendors of Persepolis, the ruins of which are no\Y 
called Chiluiiiiar, the "Forty Pillars." 



42 SOHRAB AND EUSTCTM. 

Began to twinkle through the fog ; for now 

Both armies moved to camp, and took their meal ; 

The Persians took it on the open sands 

Southward, the Tartars by the river marge ; 

And Kustum and his son were left alone. 5 

But the majestic river floated on, 
Out of the mist and hum of that low land, 
Into the frosty starlight, and there moved, 
Rejoicing, through the hushed Chorasmian waste, 
Under the solitary moon ; — he flowed 10 

Right for the polar star, past Orgunje, 
Brimming, and bright, and large ; then sands begin 
To hem his watery march, and dam his streams, 
And split his currents ; that for many a league 
The shorn and parceled Oxus strains along 15 

Through beds of sand and matted rushy isles — 
Oxus, forgetting the bright speed he had 
In his high mountain cradle in Pamere, 
A foiled circuitous w^anderer — till at last 
The longed-for dash of waves is heard, and wide 30 

His luminous home of waters opens, bright 
And tranquil, from whose floor the new-bathed stars 
Emerge, and shine upon the Aral Sea. 

6. But the majestic river floated on. The author begins and ends 
the poem with the picture of the smooth-flowing river, thus giving it a 
beautiful artistic setting. The sublime tranquillity of nature is undisturbed 
by human suffering and tragedy. Nothing of its kind in modern poetry is 
finer than this conclusion. 
11. Orgunje {or' goon- je). A village on the Oxus, below Khiva. 



RUSKIN'S WORKS 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 

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TyiR. GEORGE ALLEN begs to announce that Ruskin's Works will 
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The chronological arrangejuent of the poems— the author's age at the time 
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25 Wordsworth's Excursion. (Bk.I.) 

26 Pope's Essay on Criticism. 

27 Spenser'sFaerieQueene. (Cantos 

I. and II.) 

28 Covpper's Task. (Book I.) 

29 Milton's Comus. 

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31 Irving's Sketch Book. (Selec- 

tions.) 

32 Dickens's Christmas Carol. 

(Condensed.) I 

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